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Nintendo has confirmed that a games console successor to the Wii U, known as the Nintendo NX, is under development.
Speaking at the press conference in which Nintendo's plans to make mobile games were announced, Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata assured fans that his company wasn't giving up on its core gaming business.
Indeed, Iwata took the opportunity to officially confirm that a successor to the Wii U was in the works.
"As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business," Iwata said, "let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename “NX.”
Iwata was unwilling to elaborate further, but did reveal that the company hoped to share more information on the Nintendo NX next year. The slide pictured above (via Engadget) shows the NX console alongside the Wii U, the 3DS, and its new smartphone, tablet, and PC platform.
Of course, new consoles take years to develop, so there's always something new in development. You can bet your bottom dollar that the PS5 and the next Xbox are well underway at Sony and Microsoft respectively.
However, it's always telling when a company chooses to reveal the existence of its next generation console project.
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In Nintendo's case, this initial mention doesn't just serve to allay fears over a its new smartphone gaming direction. It also comes relatively early in the Wii U's lifespan (less than two and a half years), as sales of the console continue to underwhelm.
Is Nintendo accelerating its plans to move on to the next thing, or is the Nintendo NX so different that it will sit alongside the Wii U? It seems we'll have to wait until at least next year to find out.
